Visiting Time
by Queen of Spiritual
Summary: I recently had this idea and thought I would share it with you all. In this story, Gomer tries to talk Carter into coming with him to Mayberry where he was originally from. If he said yes, this would be quite a fun time. What would Sergeant Carter's answer be? Find out and enjoy
1. Chapter 1

Gomer Pyle was able to find Sergeant Carter in the office. He had a telephone call, so Gomer had to wait for his turn to talk. Carter did see Gomer, but all he did was put a finger on his lips. So Gomer got the message. Carter hung up a minute later.

"What do you want to tell me, Pyle? It better be good."

"Of course it is, Sergeant. Remember I mentioned my friends in Mayberry?"

"Yes, Pyle. What does this have to do with your friends?"

"Well, I've been writing to them lately. I have told them a lot about you. They are interested in meeting you sometime."

"Let me think about it for a while, and I will let you know then. How does that sound?"

"That's fine. Tale all the time you need."

"Thank you. Just let me make a few more phone calls and you can scram."

So he did what he was told. Gomer had been serving in the USMC for a few years, and has made a few friends. Today he received a letter from his cousin, Goober Pyle. He opened it and this is what Goober had to say this time:

 _Hi, Gomer._

 _We all miss you in Mayberry. I have been talking with our friends. Like I keep saying, Mayberry isn't the same without my cousin around. Hope you will be able to come home for good and then we have a lot to catch up on. Hope your sergeant gave you a good thought about returning to Mayberry. Hope to hear from you again soon._

After reading his cousin's recent letter, it made Gomer smile. In the past until now, he's always enjoyed receiving letters from Mayberry. When Carter gives out his answer, that's when he will reply back. He is going to keep his fingers crossed until then. Since Gomer wasn't much of a religious person, one of his friends back home from did, so that's why he could have some time to himself, but he didn't touch the Bible until now.

Now that he wasn't around anybody, and that included Carter, he thought it was a good idea to spend a bit of time with Jesus. He flipped over to Acts in the New Testament. He didn't see that there was no need to pray before he began to read. At least Acts seemed the place to be today.

He was still alone thirty minutes later, so Gomer kept on reading. He read an extra ten minutes and then decided that it was a good stopping place.

"Wow, this is quite a book. Maybe this is what I needed today. At least Sergeant Carter isn't around and catching me reading a book. I might find time again soon if I'm lucky. Forty minutes with Jesus isn't bad."

Gomer was only talking to himself, so it was a good thing that nobody was around to hear Gomer doing this sort of thing. When he returns Goober's letter, he would say that there really wasn't anything to write about USMC, which happened to be true. He was silent again after Gomer finished talking with himself.

And he still had that smile on his face. He smiles for no reason, which has nothing to do that. He couldn't help himself, but went to see what Carter was doing. He always enjoyed hanging out with Carter, even if it means he wants to or not. That Carter really can be a tough person, and he's known that ever since he first joined the Marines.

Carter was still in the office when Gomer walked in a second time around.

"What is it, Pyle? Are you bored?"

"Yes, I am. Wanted to see what your answer is on coming out to Mayberry with me. It was my idea that we can visit there for a while."

"Pyle, don't you know what the word wait means?"

"Yes, sir, I do."

"Now would you be so kind and not repeat this question ten more times? Got that?"

"Yes, I do. Is there anything I can do?"

"Yes, there is, Pyle. You can take care of the cleaning the toilets. That way I won't have to mess around doing it myself."

"Okay, Sergeant. I'll try to think of something that I can do. I've already done everything else."

"I really can't think of anything. Just leave me alone."

So he did what he was told. He had to come up with something to keep himself busy.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, Gomer called Mayberry. He ended up talking with Barney, who happens to be deputy.

"Hi, Barney. How have you been?"

"I'm good, thank you."

"I'm coming back to Mayberry soon. I'm bringing my sergeant with me. He's never been to Mayberry before," said Gomer.

"I'm sure he'd be interested in meeting a few of your friends," Barney said.

"That's exactly right. I thought he could use a vacation too," Gomer added.

"Have you talked to him about it?"

"He already knows, Barney. He's not around now, but I've heard that he is trying to get rid of me. I haven't done anything wrong. I happen to like him."

"I'm sure you do, Gomer. Have you set up a schedule and see if the military would let you have some time away?"

"Not yet, but I'll see what I can do about it."

"What did you say the sergeant's name was again? I forgot," Barney said.

"Vincent Carter," he answered.

"Now I do remember you mentioning him several times. Do you wish to speak with Andy about this too?"

"No, that's fine. You can tell him for me."

"I'll do that, Gomer. He isn't here. He had to take Aunt Bee and Opie to the doctor," Barney said.

"Oh. I hope they're okay. I don't keep in touch with my doctor, Barney. I'm healthy."

"That's good, but I do think that you should keep in contact with him."

"I know, Barney. Why are we talking about doctors for? This doesn't have anything to do with my sergeant."

"Of course it isn't, Gomer. I'm sorry if I brought it up."

"That's okay, Barney. Would you like to meet him on the phone today?"

"Not today, Gomer. I can wait until the time gets closer to meet him. I'll be sure to pass this over to Andy when he returns to the office again later."

"Okay, Barney. It's nice speaking with you."

"Same to you, Gomer. Talk again later."

"All right, Barney. I'll be sure to call again when it gets closer to come out to Mayberry."

"We shall look forward to hearing from you again," Barney replied.

"I'll let Carter know that we talked. He'll be sure to know about our telephone conversation later," Gomer said.

"I'm sure that you would do so."

They both said a few more words and that was the end of their conversation. Barney was the first one to hang up. That's when he hung up as well. Gomer looked around for the sergeant.

"Hey, Pyle. I see that you look like you want to tell me something," Carter said.

"Of course I do. I just want to talk with you about returning to Mayberry. I think that you will like there. It might make you wish that you lived there. I'll bet on that," Gomer told Carter.

"I don't think it will make me wish that, Pyle. I don't think Mayberry is the place for me. This will be more future visits."

"Don't use the word, Carter. You know that by now Maryberry has always been home for me before joining the Marines."

"This is will be home to us, Pyle. It's the only home we have right now."

Gomer agreed with what Carter had just said.


	3. Chapter 3

Gomer decided that now was the best time to call his friends in Mayberry. He didn't have Carter with him while he made that telephone call. He thought that Andy Taylor, who happens to be sheriff, would be the one to receive the phone call. He listed to the phone ring. It was Barney's voice that was on the other end of the line.

"Hello, sheriff's office."

"Hi, Barney. This is Gomer."

"Hi, Gomer," Barney returned.

"Is Andy around?"

"No. I'm only here for quite a while. Andy's not feeling very good these days."

"That's a shame."

"Yes, Gomer. Is this what you called for to say that?"

"No, Barney. Remember I mentioned that my sergeant is coming along?"

"Did he really say that?"

"No, he didn't. He knows I'm coming out. He's never been to Mayberry before, so this is going to be his first time."

"At least it would give that sergeant a good idea on what Mayberry looks like," Barney said.

"Exactly. I thought he would be interested on meeting my friends."

"If Andy still isn't feeling good by the time you come out, I'm sure that Aunt Bea won't let you stay."

"I know that. I guess my sergeant and I will have to come prepared if Andy isn't out of bed by then. What made Andy sick?"

"I don't know, Gomer. When that happened, Aunt Bea ended up calling me to say he wouldn't be here for a while."

"Could it be a cold or something like that?"

"From what Aunt Bea told me, it could be a cold or allergies. If it's both, I'm not letting myself near him."

"I'll pass this on to the sergeant, Barney. It was nice talking to you again."

"Same here, Gomer. I'll let Andy know that I had talked with you."

"Okay. Tell him I hope he feels better soon."

"I'll do that, Gomer."

That's when the phone call ended.

Gomer walked away from the phone. At least he was able to get that out of the way. Now it was time to find Carter.

He was able to find him. He also had a phone call, and Gomer waited patiently for Carter to end his call as well. Gomer didn't really care on who Carter was talking to, and it wasn't any of his business. It usually is nobody Gomer knows when Carter is on the phone like this. Carter was able to notice Gomer was there, but only put a finger on his mouth to let Gomer know it wasn't his turn. At least Gomer was smart enough to know that.

Gomer had to wait about two to three minutes until Carter was able to end the conversation. At least Gomer didn't interrupt, which was a good thing. When he finished the call, he put the phone back where it belonged.

"Pyle, what do you want now?"

"Well, Sergeant, I made my phone call back to Mayberry."

"What's going on there that I need to know about? Don't waste my time."

"I'm not here to waste your precious time, Sergeant. I talked with my friend, Barney Fife. He's deputy of Mayberry."

"I remember you saying that before, Pyle. I'm listening."

"Well, when I called, I got some disappointing news. He told me that Andy is out sick, so I found that disappointing. He did mention when you and I come out, we might have to stay somewhere else if Andy's still sick when we arrive."

"We have time to prepare, Pyle. If your friend is still sick when we show up, do you have any ideas on where we'll be staying?"

"I already have an idea, Sergeant. I'm thinking that maybe we could stay over at cousin Goober's house. Barney has an apartment, so to that's out of the question."

"Have you called him to ask if we could stay."

"Not yet. I know for sure that Goober would let us stay. He's a nice cousin."

"it sounds that way all of these years you and I have been together."

Gomer nodded in agreement.

"I'll go call him now if you'd like me to," Gomer said.

"Do whatever you need to, Pyle. If you'll excuse me, I have to go into town to visit the grocery store. Is there anything you'd like to add on that list?"

Gomer shook his head. That's when Carter stood up and then was out of the office.


	4. Chapter 4

"Pyle?"

"Yes, Sergeant?"

"I'm sure you probably have a question or two about your first visit to Mayberry."

"That's exactly correct, Pyle. My question is where will we be staying once we get there?" Carter asked.

"I don't know, Sergeant. I'll work it out. Barney's out of the question since he lives in an apartment," Gomer told Carter.

"I'm not worried about him. I'm only worrying about us."

"I'll let you know when I get to it. I'm also sure that Andy and Goober don't mind since I know them."

"It's your hometown, Pyle. Everyone should know you by now."

"Speaking of which, I'll go call them both and I'll get back to you."

"Good enough, Pyle. You know where to find me."

"Of course I know how to find you."

After that, he was already gone and Gomer was alone again.

He decided to dial Andy before getting to cousin Goober. It looked like Aunt Bea was home when he heard her take his call.

"Hi, Aunt Bee."

"Why, Gomer, what a nice surprise to hear your voice again. How have you been?"

"I'm excited to come out to Mayberry. Is Andy home?"

"Hold on, Gomer. He's here."

"Thank you, Aunt Bea."

"Hi, Gomer."

"Hi, Andy. Mind if I ask you something?"

"What's that? The trip to see us?"

"Yes, Andy. Is that all right with you that Sergeant Carter and I stay with you or should I ask Goober?"

"You can talk to him and then you can tell me. Is that a deal?" Andy asked.

"Yes, Andy. For now, what would you say once Goober asks that sort of question?"

"Just tell him I'm waiting to hear what his answer is."

"All right, Andy. You're a good man."

"Thank you, Gomer. I'll take that as a compliment."

"I know that, Andy. I'll get right back to you."

Before Gomer could say anything else, Andy disconnected. Now he made his last call to his cousin.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Goober."

"Gomer! I wasn't expecting to talk with you when you come out to Mayberry," Goober told him.

"I know, but I called for a question about this vacation to Mayberry."

"What's your question that you want me to answer?"

"Is that all right with you that Sergeant Carter and I come out?"

"I'm cool with it. Have you talked with Andy about this yet?" Goober asked.

"I just got off with him," he answered.

"Looks like you beat me to it, then."

"I guess so."

"Just tell me what Andy said."

"He's leaving it up to you."

"Up to me, huh? You can stay with me. It's nice to see my cousin again."

"I'll go call Andy and tell my sergeant and then we'll see you in Mayberry."

"Okay. I'm sure Andy wouldn't mind if we stayed with me instead. Maybe we cab try to make him laugh."

"I'm not so sure about that, Goober. He's not that kind of person to laugh about."

"I guess I understand that. I forgot that the military doesn't quite share a sense of humor."

"You're right, Goober. We're supposed to serve the country and not joke around."

"You're the one serving the country, not me. Sometimes it makes me wish that I was part of it like you are, and we could see each other more often."

"I don't think that will ever happen, Goober. Excuse me I'd better think about getting back to Andy and let us stay with you. Maybe some other time I could stay with Andy."

"Talk to you again soon, Gomer. Please let me know what did happen when you make it."

"All right. I'll be sure to call when we arrive in Mayberry."

"I shall look forward to it."

So they decided to let Carter know what we planned to do it."

Gomer made his second telephone call to Andy. Yes, he was still home, which made Gomer happy.

"Hi, Andy. I have your answer," Gomer said.

"What did you both decide on?"

"Sergeant Carter and I will stay with him. It'll be nice to stay so that way we will have time to catch up."

"Okay, Gomer. All of us shall look forward to seeing you again."

"We'll do the same thing, Andy."

End of conversation. Now Gomer was ready to tell Carter. He figured out to tell him what the plan was.

"Sergeant?"

"Yes, Pyle?"

"I have your answer."

"What's my answer?"

"You and me will stay with cousin Goober. Andy's fine with that. How does that sound?"

"I'll go along with you as well."

It made Gomer happy everyone agreed in something, which isn't often at all.


	5. Chapter 5

Goober had lunch with Andy and Barney.

"Isn't it exciting to have Gomer come home for a while?" Goober asked.

"Yes, Goober, it is. This time it's a bit different," Andy answered.

"Why would Gomer want to bring somebody from USMC?"

Goober did remember Gomer saying that he wanted his cousin and friends to meet his sergeant, Vincent Carter.

"Maybe Gomer thought it would be something different. That sergeant needs time away too," Barney said.

"Guess so, but it does make a lot of sense."

"We'll get to see for ourselves on what part of Sergeant Carter that makes him like Carter so much," Barney said, remembering the letters they read in the past until now.

"Yes, Barney, he does," Goober said.

"We might see Carter differently than Gomer does. Have you thought of that one?" asked Andy.

"I have, Andy. You may never know if I will agree with you both or with Gomer about that sergeant of his."

Barney and Andy had to agree.

"What does Opie think about Gomer returning to Mayberry for a while?" Goober asked.

"He's excited. He's very curious about meeting Sergeant Carter," answered Andy.

"I'm sure that he does. Maybe Opie might start getting ideas on what he wants to do."

"Good point. I'm sure he's already starting to think about it, Ange."

"You can be right, Barney. He still wants Gomer to stay with us instead."

"I'm sure that he does."

Opie happens to be Andy's son. Opie happens to be in middle school. Next year he'll be a freshman in high school.

"Gomer would definitely be surprised that Opie will be in high school. I'm sure you feel old," Goober told him.

"Not really. I don't think so," Andy told him.

"I know that I would feel old if Opie was my son," Goober added.

"Opie had a lot to tell Gomer, that's for sure."

Barney decided to ask another question.

"Ange, have you told Helen about Gomer's visit from USMC?" he asked.

"Of course I did, Barney. She's also excited to have him return to Mayberry for a short visit."

"Same thing with Thelma Lou," Barney agreed.

"She's waiting to see if Gomer has changed since we last saw him."

"I'm sure he has," Andy agreed.

"I haven't seen any pictures recently, so I doubt that he has," Goober told his friends.

"I'm pretty sure that Opie might want to ask Carter what his name is a few times so he would remember."

"Vincent is an easy name to remember, Goober. I'm pretty sure that it won't take Opie very long."

"At least that's one way to see it," agreed Andy.

Even Goober had to agree on this one.

"Since he's going to be here in Mayberry soon, maybe I think it's a good idea that I better leave and start making my house nice and neat before Gomer comes to stay with me."

That's when Goober stood up from the table.

"Ange, since when did Goober decide to make his place neater when somebody stays at his place? I'm sure that Carter probably won't notice or even care."

"You can be right, Barney. Carter might even care since he's never been to Mayberry."

"Like my mother used to tell me that people seem to judge someone else on their appearance," Barney said.

"I've heard that before, but it's been years since I have heard it."

"Now you have," Barney replied.

"I guess that I have, thanks to you."

"I think you mean my mother, not me."

"Either way, thanks."

They hung out at the diner for a while longer and then it was time to head out to the sheriff's office.

"I'll pay if you'd like, Ange."

"I can do it this time. You can have it next time."

"Whenever that will be."

Andy didn't seem to see there was no need to agree, so he said nothing. After Andy paid for their lunch, now was the right time to leave the diner.

"I don't mind driving," Barney offered.

"All right, Barney. You can drive," Andy told his deputy and handed over the keys.

"Thank you, Ange. What did Aunt Bea say about meeting Carter?"

"She's like Opie – excited," was Andy's answer.

"That's what I figured," Barney said as he unlocked the doors of the car. When they put their seatbelts on, that's when Barney put the key in the ignition and then drove over to the office.

The entire ride that Andy and Barney had after lunch, they didn't have to be interrupted to do their job without anybody needing them for anything, which happens to be have Barney write up a ticket for them. Barney got the patrol car in its regular spot on the road, but it never has been in anyone's way in busy traffic. When they both walked in, the phone greeted them. Now it was time to head off to continue where they left off.


	6. Chapter 6

"What would you like to do when we get to Mayberry, Sergeant?" Gomer asked.

Carter shrugged.

"I've never been there, so you tell me, Pyle."

"At least I can show you around and meet everybody."

"That's right, Pyle. I'm sure you goofed up out there too."

"Like I've been saying before, Sergeant, Mayberry is a friendly town. Maybe you'll make friends with them like I did."

"We'll see, Pyle. Tell me something."

"What do you want me to tell you?"

"Does Mayberry eat out a lot?"

"It depends. The sheriff, Andy mostly eats his Aunt Bea's food every day, so that's good enough for him."

"I would like to meet her while I'm with you, Pyle. From what you've been telling me, she sounds like a lovely woman."

"You got that right. I think you'll love her as much as any of us do. She's good with cooking."

Carter looked happy to hear that.

"You know what, Pyle?"

"What's that?"

"I never had told you that I haven't had any meals made by a woman in several years. I shall look forward to eat a woman's cooking again."

Gomer felt a bit bad for his sergeant about not having a cooked meal by a woman like Aunt Bea.

"She's wonderful, Sergeant. Everybody like Aunt Bea's cooking."

"I'm sure that they did. From what you've been telling me, Aunt Bea sounds like a sweet lady."

"Of course she is. She's very thoughtful too."

"Glad to hear that. Does she do this sort of thing with strangers like myself?"

"Of course she does. Mayberry also has a town drunk."

"Why does Mayberry need a town drunk?"

Gomer shrugged.

"I don't know. His name is Otis."

"Otis, huh? Where does he stay?" Carter asked.

"He sleeps in the cells in Andy's office."

"The jail. Do you think that the town drunk of yours will be there on our vacation?"

"I don't know, but I can ask Andy that question for you if you'd like."

"That's not necessary, Pyle. We can talk about it in Mayberry. Let me say one other thing, Pyle."

"What's that? Maybe you can get a haircut at the barber shop."

"I think that I'll pass on that haircut. I just had one a couple of days ago."

"You can always have another one. There's plenty f time for a haircut."

"This sure sounds like our vacation will be full of drama."

"That's Mayberry for you, Sergeant. Every place must have drama. I'll tell Aunt Bea that you'll look forward to her cooking. I'm sure that she'd love to hear that."

"Women like to hear stuff like that. They take it as a compliment. I'm sure that this Aunt Bea of yours hears that all the time."

"Of course she does. I think she should start her own business since she's that good."

"Do you keep in touch with that town drunk too?"

"No. Otis and I thought it made sense not to keep in contact, which I'm in the USMC. I mostly hear about him, which is good enough for me."

"I agree with you, Pyle. I'm sure in a dramatic vacation next week."

"You'll be surprised."


	7. Chapter 7

Opie was at the sheriff's office with Andy and Barney one afternoon after school was over.

"Pa, isn't is exciting to see Gomer again?"

"Yes, Opie, it is. We'll have to see what Gomer's sergeant is like. They'll only be here for a few days, and then go back on serving the country," Andy told his son.

"Too bad Gomer can't move back to Mayberry. When he's done with the military, do you think he'll plan to move back here?" Opie asked.

"You can ask Gomer that question yourself when he comes out. Only he can answer that, not us," Barney answered.

Andy nodded in agreement.

"Barney's right, Opie. It's different when you're in the military."

"I see your point, and it does make sense."

"They might even tell us about it," Andy said.

"I sure hope so. What did Gomer say that sergeant's name was again? I forgot."

"I don't remember, except his last name happens to be Carter."

"Oh. I'm sure it'll be an introduction once they come out to Mayberry, Pa."

"I happen to think so, too, Opie. He's all that Gomer ever really talks about."

"And none of it is negative either," Barney told him.

"Oh. That's good thing. Where's Goober?"

"He should be at the filling station, so he might be busy with all of those cars. Maybe Goober might have something new to tell us abut Gomer. What if he doesn't show up?"

"Opie, he will be here. He doesn't get to come out to Mayberry often, so this is why he wanted to take his time off and catch up with us."

"Pa, I think I know what I want to do when I grow up."

"What's that?"

"I want to be in the military. It should be fun."

"Opie, the military isn't supposed to be fun. It takes a lot to serve the country. Even Gomer can tell you that the military isn't supposed to be fun."

Andy agreed with Barney. Opie was full of energy today, both sheriff and his deputy saw.

Opie is almost in high school, so he has lots of energy since he's still young. Opie has his whole life on what he wants to do for a living. Yet again, he can always change his mind about the military. For now, he's full of ideas.

"Opie, when I was your age, do you know what I wanted to do?"

"What's that, Pa?"

"I wanted to run for President. Don't you remember that, Barney?"

"I do, and I can still picture you as President, Ange. That's the hardest job of the world."

"I know. Remember you wanted to be a scientist?"

"Yes, I do. Since that never happened, I'm a deputy instead. I don't mind it. I like working with you, Ange."

"I like working with you too, Barney. We both work hard for our money."

"Pa, do you think Gomer will wear his uniform when he returns here to Mayberry?"

"I don't know how to answer that, Opie. I'm sure that he might. We have seen that uniform before."

"I want to see it again, Pa. I can picture myself in a uniform like that."

Andy and Barney didn't say anything after that. They've tried picturing it before themselves, but really can't see Opie in that kind of uniform or any other, and that included sports.

"Opie, I don't think you will ever wear an uniform and you might not be interested in playing sports when you get to high school."

Opie also saw that his father was exactly right.

"You can dream, Opie. I agree with your father about picturing you in a uniform."

"I often have dreamed on wearing one anyway, Barney. It's fun to picture it, even if I don't get one, but that's okay too."

Opie stood up and headed out of the door.

"Where are you going, Opie?"

"Going to see Goober. Maybe he has something to share with us."

"Or it might be the same."

Barney agreed with Opie.

"Andy, the boy could be right. Maybe Goober might have something like that we don't know about."

"Tell Goober hi from us."

"I will, Barney. See you at home, Pa."

"I'm sure you will."

That's when Opie slammed the door behind him.

"He sure is excited about Gomer coming out again, which is a good thing. You know what I think, Andy?"

"What's that?"

"I happen to think Opie is more excited about Gomer's vacation with the sergeant more than we are."

"From what we just saw, I would like to agree with you, Barney."

"That's what I thought."

It was true on what Barney and Andy agreed on. Now all they had to do was with for Gomer to return.


	8. Chapter 8

A day or two later, Gomer found Sergeant Carter packing for their trip to Mayberry.

"What are you doing?"

He looked over his should and found Gomer standing by the door.

"Oh, it's only you, Pyle. What does it look like to you on what I'm doing?"

He was still looking over to Gomer.

"I don't have time to answer any stupid questions."

"Sorry, Sergeant. You packing for Mayberry already? We still have plenty of time to do that," Gomer said.

"Yes, I know, Pyle. My mother told me whenever you are leaving for holiday, you need to start packing three days before. I plan to keep that advice. Did your mother tell you that too?"

"No, Sergeant. Mom never really said anything about that to me."

"Shame on your mother about not telling you the same thing."

"It's not her fault. Nobody can tell her what to say or do. She did what she wanted to."

Carter saw that Gomer made a very good point.

"You're smart enough not to ask any stupid questions like this one. You don't need me to answer that sort of question."

"Sorry. I wasn't thinking."

"Think before you ask that question again in the future."

"All right. I'll do what I can."

"You can leave me alone now, Pyle. I don't need any distraction. I don't want to loose track on sorting out these clothes."

Gomer didn't do what he said. He continued to stay right next to the door.

"I have an idea," Gomer said.

"Pyle, didn't I ask you nicely to leave? Why don't you think about doing the same thing?"

"Sorry, Sergeant. I just came up with an idea on what we can do in Mayberry."

"You can save that idea for next time. I'm not interested in hearing about your silly question."

"It's not a silly idea. It's a good one."

"I'm still not interested. I'll let you know when I am."

"Okay, but it might be lost by the time you're ready. I guess I shall leave you alone. You don't seem to want me around."

"Maybe I can do this same thing to you when you start packing your suitcases. How does that sound to get even?"

"I will never get angry at you. I think you should've known that by now."

"Just leave, Pyle. You're starting to distract me."

"Sorry. I'll leave you. I shall get lost like you've always told me to."

Gomer wasn't very happy about what Carter had just told him. He's always distracting people and he has done a good job at doing just that. And he left as he was asked. He wasn't very happy about it either.

Then Gomer decided it sounded like a good idea to give cousin Goober a call. He somehow wasn't quite ready to begin packing like he was asked. Goober wasn't at the gas station when Gomer called. He was at home instead. It did surprise Gomer for sure, and he decided to let Goober start the conversation this time.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Goober. It's me, Gomer."

"Hi, Gomer! It's sure nice to hear from my cousin. Are you still excited on staying with me?"

"Of course I am. I always enjoy visiting my cousin. Am I missing anything?" asked Gomer.

"Of course not. Have you thought about beginning to pack?"

"I'm not ready, Goober. You're starting to act like Sergeant Carter."

"Sorry. He told you to start packing up?"

"You're exactly right, Goober. I'll just wait to do it the night before."

"All right. I think it's a dumb thing to tell you when to start thinking about packing up."

"Why are we talking about that? I didn't call you to talk about that."

"Sorry, Gomer. I'm happy that you called. What made you call me?"

"It's not a big deal, is it, Goober? I'm surprised to find you at home instead of fixing up cars."

"I know you sound surprised, Gomer. Since there were hardly any cars today, Wally told me to leave early. That's why I surprised you."

"It was a pretty nice surprise too. I just came up with an idea, but Sergeant Carter doesn't want to hear about it right now."

"That's too bad he doesn't want to hear your idea. That's why you called me, right?" asked Goober.

"Exactly. Wanna hear it?"

"Sure. I hope it's a good one."

"Of course it is. I was thinking he might want to bring back a souvenir of some sort."

"Great idea! Does he shop?"

"No way. He'd rather be sergeant than just shop for whatever he needs or wants. I'm leaving that up to him on what he wants to on that."

"Which makes a lot of sense," Goober agreed.

Before Gomer could say anything else, Goober spoke.

"do you have anything else to say?"

"No, Goober, I don't. You like there is something else you'd like to share with me."

"Of course I do, Gomer. I think you're starting to get tired of this conversation. That's nothing wrong with that, is there?"

"No, Goober, it isn't. What do you have to share?"

Since Carter finished packing for the day, he found Gomer talking on the telephone. Carter didn't care who Gomer was chatting with one of his Mayberry friends. It turned out that he was exactly right.

"I heard Opie wants to see you in your uniforms."

Carter was able to listen to the telephone conversation with Goober. He wouldn't interrupt a telephone call, which Carter was smart about. He stuck around for a bit.

"Opie's seen me in that uniform several times. I guess that means he likes it enough to keep seeing me in it."

"Exactly, Gomer. You know what I think?" asked Goober.

"What's that?"

"I happen to think you being in the Marines is giving him an idea that he wants to do this when he gets older."

"I think you're right, Goober. I also think that you might have told Opie."

"Nope. It was nice hearing your voice again, Gomer."

"Same to you."


	9. Chapter 9

"Sergeant, will you listen to me for a few minutes? It's about our trip to Mayberry."

"That subject again, Pyle? That's all we've been talking about lately."

"I know, Sergeant. I talked about my idea to Goober over the phone not too long ago. He agreed to my idea."

"All right. I'll let you do the talking as usual."

"I'm hoping that you'll agree to this. How does bringing back a souvenir from Mayberry sound to you?"

"What kind of souvenir are you thinking about, Pyle? I don't need anything else."

"Well, we're going to do it anyway."

Carter couldn't have an argument with Gomer. All Gomer ever talks about is Mayberry, and Carter wasn't interested in hearing about it. All he wanted right now was to have this vacation and then come back. Why aren't both of them in North Carolina at this moment?

"Pyle, are you positive about staying in his house while we're there?"

"Yes, we are. That was how the plan was decided between Goober and me."

"So that means I'll have to be in the same house with two people under the name Pyle?"

"Exactly."

"Pyle, if you want to have this holiday now, then before you know it, we'll be back here."

"I know. The visit is only for a few days."

Carter was already having second thoughts about their vacation coming up.

He'll have to tell Gomer one way or another that he can go out to North Carolina without him, but didn't want to hurt his feelings. He already made up a plan to do it alone, which would never happen. He'll give it a shot anyway. He's already packed up, but could unpack everything tonight while Gomer's sound asleep under the covers. No way would Gomer find out.

So they both had dinner that night, but at different times. Carter wanted it that way because he didn't want to hear another word about Mayberry. He's had enough of it because that's all Gomer ever wants to talk about it. Gomer didn't seem to care one way or another if they didn't eat together. That's something they both do every single day.

Carter wanted to eat alone so that way he could work on his plan about canceling on the trip. No matter how hard he's tried in the past, none of these plans words. He's always wanted to get rid of Gomer. Would this plan finally work without Gomer noticing his suitcase was unpacked? It was all Carter wanted was for Gomer to figure this whole plan out.

Bedtime for them both was a little after nine – thirty every single night. Serving in the military ran in his family, so Carter thought he'd keep the generations coming. That has never been a easy thing to do. He and Pyle both usually eat supper around six – fifteen to six – thirty. Yes, they also cook for themselves so nobody would have to cook. Cooking has always been hard for both Carter and Pyle since they both like different things, so this was why they eat alone every night.

Gomer told himself that the sergeant better not think about staying behind when the day arrived to fly out to Mayberry. The sergeant isn't too interested in taking any vacations.

This was something he didn't want to do. Serving the country was all Carter ever thinks about.

When bedtime showed up, this was where his plan comes in. They were both leaving for Mayberry the day before tomorrow, so it should give him plenty of time to figure out his plan.

Before they knew it, the next day arrived. Gomer usually sleeps in until about seven – fifteen. That wasn't enough time for Carter to use his plan, so that's why he did it the other night instead.

He smiled to himself. He kept telling himself that the plan better work or else. When Gomer woke up and joined him a few minutes later, he somehow had a feeling the sergeant was acting a little bit odd. But why? He wasn't so sure. He also didn't care what was going on.

"Good - morning," Gomer greeted him as he stretched.

"Good – morning, Pyle," he returned.

"Aren't you getting excited about the visit to Mayberry?"

"Pyle, can we stop talking about North Carolina for the time being? That's all you ever talk about. I sure can't wait when the visit is over."

Gomer didn't like hearing those words, but is used to it.

"Not another word. Got it?"

"Yes," Gomer answered.

The sergeant was hoping that sooner or later Gomer would at some point figure out the plan and then pass the word over to his friends about the whole thing. He's pretty sure that the sheriff's only child would surely ask questions about the military. He'd better come prepared for that if Gomer ever figures this plan out.

"Sergeant, you look like you have something on your mind."

"Of course I do, but you don't need to know everything about me."

"I know I don't."

Carter didn't want to go to Mayberry because he didn't want a double dose of Pyle. But he has no other choice if his plan didn't work.


	10. Chapter 10

The phone rang. Barney answered it.

"Sheriff's office."

He heard a familiar voice from the other end of the line.

"Hi, Barney!"

He knew that was Gomer Pyle himself.

"Hey, Gomer."

"Aren't you excited to have me again?"

"Of course we are, Gomer. We're looking forward to meeting this sergeant of yours."

"He's very excited about it too."

"I bet he is. Do you want any of us to pick you up at the airport?" Barney asked.

"No, thank you, Barney. Goober already offered to do that. Maybe you and Andy can do it when it's time for us to go back after our time is up."

"Sounds like a deal for us. I'll be sure to pass it over to Andy."

"Thanks, Barney. Is Andy around? I'd like to say hi to him."

"He's at home right now. He stayed home most of the day since Aunt Bee isn't feeling so hot."

"That's too bad, Barney. Maybe Aunt Bee will be feeling better when I come back."

"I'm sure she will be by then, Gomer. She's going to feel better in no time."

Gomer didn't bother asking Barney what made her sick all of a sudden, and it wasn't any of his business about Aunt Bee's health. If she was a part of his family, he would've known by now what made her sick in bed at this moment.

"I hope that Sergeant Carter will have a chance to have a bite of Aunt Bee's cooking. I already told him about it."

"I'm sure you did, Gomer. Thelma Lou is very excited about meeting you also. I'll let her know that you called this afternoon."

"I'm sure she'd like that. I will look forward to seeing Thelma Lou again."

"Do you want her number so you can tell Thelma Lou that yourself instead of me doing it for you, Gomer?"

"Thanks, Barney. I can just see her then."

"All right. I'm sure that she would like to hear your voice instead."

"Of course, Barney. I'm looking forward to hearing your voices in person."

"That makes sense, Gomer. I have an idea."

"What's that, Barney?"

"Why don't you call Andy and have the same conversation with him?"

"I might do that later. I was expecting him to be at the office like you are."

"You could think that. He told me earlier this morning that he wanted to work with me today, but made up his mind that Aunt Bee was more important."

"Of course she's more important, from what you just told me. I do wish Aunt Bee is part of family. Andy sure is very lucky to have her part of his family."

"I agree. Listen, Gomer, I need to sign off. If we don't talk again, I'll see you when you are in town. Have a good day now."

"Same to you, Barney. I'll see you soon."

After the phone call, Barney told himself, "Gomer sure doesn't know how to stop talking. Need to get together with Thelma Lou."

After Barney said that, he immediately called her. He knew Thelma Lou didn't have any plans, maybe except to go out with Helen for dinner tonight. That was all he heard from what Thelma Lou had told him.

"Hi, Barney. I didn't expect to hear from you today," she greeted him.

"I know, Thelma Lou, but I thought that I would talk with you."

"About what?"

"Gomer and this sergeant he's been telling us about this whole time."

"What about hem do you want to share with me?"

"Can we get together before you go out with Helen?"

Helen Crump is Andy's girlfriend. They connected right through his son, Opie. She used to be Opie's teacher.

"I'd love that. What time are you going to leave?" she asked him.

She asked, wanting to be prepared to see him again today.

"I thought I would share it in person than over the phone."

"I understand. Why don't you and Andy join us? We would love to see both of you again sometime."

"You girls sure will see us."

"Helen's teaching today, so that's why we planned on dinner tonight instead."

"I'm glad to hear that, Thelma Lou. If you don't want to see me today, how does tomorrow sound?"

"I think tomorrow works best for me. Anytime works for me."

"All right. Tomorrow it is. I'll do my best to remember that."

"Do you need a calendar to do that to remind you?"

"No, thanks. I don't think that's necessary."

Thelma Lou saw that he was right.

"What time do you want me to come over?"

"Anytime works. You can even do it on your lunch break if it works for you."

"Of course it does. I'll see you then."

Now that was out of the way, it made him feel a lot better. He knew for sure that Thelma Lou agreed.


	11. Chapter 11

The next day, Gomer and Carter both headed to the airport early in the afternoon.

"Are you ready to meet my friends, Sergeant Carter?"

"Of course, Pyle. I hope to be entertained during this vacation you wanted me to have," Carter answered.

"You sure will. Mayberry's a friendly small town."

"You've said that a zillion times, Pyle. I don't need to keep hearing that."

"Sorry."

"You don't need to apologize. I hope this vacation goes f

"It might be true," Gomer agreed.

"I haven't pictured very often on what life would be like with both you and your crazy cousin."

"Goober is not a crazy person. He's fun, nice, interesting, and a lot of other things that you can think of."

"Don't forget strange," he told Gomer.

"He's not strange, Carter. You'll see for yourself what life looks like with the name Pyle."

"Of course I will. It starts tonight, right?"

"Exactly," Gomer answered.

 _'Great,'_ Carter thought without saying it for Gomer to hear. At least Gomer would be able to guess what he was thinking. If he did, it was true.

"Maybe Opie will have questions about the Army. Maybe you can answer his questions since you've been around longer than me," Gomer told him.

"it depends on what questions he may have."

"That's what I meant," Gomer replied.

"Will you do me a favor?"

"What's that?" Gomer asked.

"Promise me you wouldn't talk too much. I'd like to have some quiet time. Could you do that for me?"

"I'll try," Gomer told him.

"Don't just try, Pyle. Just do it."

"I'll see what I can do."

It took both of them a while to park Gomer's car, walk through security, wait for your turn to get on the flight, etc. It's been a while since both of them have done that.

Like Carter thought, Gomer didn't keep his mouth shut at all during their flight to North Carolina. Carter had never been to North Carolina, so this was his first time. He didn't think it was necessary to ask Gomer if he'd been in North Carolina while growing up. He might be tired of it, but would like Gomer to learn on not talking about Mayberry and North Carolina anymore. Gomer sure wouldn't let that happen.

He somehow figured that Gomer might ask Andy and Barney to give him a tour around the jail, even if it means nothing to see. At least it would give Carter a very good idea that they did the best they could about protecting the town. He never said much to Gomer the entire flight to Mayberry.

"I forgot to mention that I'll call Goober when we get to the airport. He offered to do transportation for us."

"That's very nice of him to do that."

"You can tell Goober that yourself. Of course it's nice of him to do that."

"I'm planning to do exactly that, Pyle."

"Good. He likes hearing that kind of thing."

"I'm sure that he does."

"I hope that Goober had the house organized," he told Gomer.

"I'm pretty sure he's already done that. His place is a two – story. I don't know if I mentioned that or not."

"No you haven't, Pyle. At least you didn't get to repeat it."

"Good," he said.

Gomer kept on talking. For the rest of the flight, he mostly listened to what Gomer talk every second of the day. That would never change, he told himself.

They finally made it safely to the airport in Mayberry. Both of them were happy to finally get off the airplane and get their luggage.

When they walked into the airport, Gomer said, "I'll go call Goober now to let him know we just in safely."

"That's a good idea, Pyle. I'll wait here to get our luggage."

"That's a good idea. Thank you," Gomer told him as he left.

It took Gomer a while to return. He didn't mind, because it gave him a short break from all the jabbering. He had both suitcases ready, Gomer noticed, which was a good thing.

"What did your crazy cousin say?"

"He'll be here between fifteen to twenty minutes. He has a car to take care of, and then he'll be here."

"That's fine with me. Let's just sit down for the time being. How does that sound?"

"Fine."

"I'll even look at some magazines until we see him."

"Okay. I'll just watch people."

"Do whatever you want."

"That's what I'm doing," Gomer told him.

Gomer just doesn't have the patience to sit down. He's always standing.

"Why aren't you going to sit down, Pyle?"

"Because I don't want to. I've been doing that all through the flight."

"People will see that's strange."

"I don't think so."

"They will notice that."

"I don't care."

"I sure do."

Carter bought his reading glasses with him. They're mostly for reading.

Goober kept his promise about time. Which was a good thing. They both have been waiting for quite a while.

"Sergeant, this is my cousin, Goober Pyle."

"Hello, Goober. It's nice to meet you finally. I'm Vincent Carter."

"Gomer actually never mentioned your first name."

"That's fine."

As they reached his car, Carter once again told himself, _'Now it's time to be around two guys with the same last names. I only hope this Goober Pyle wouldn't be strange.'_

At least neither Goober or Gomer noticed he was thinking of himself.

"I'm cooking tonight," Goober said.

"He's a great cook," Gomer said.

Carter seemed to believe it. At least Goober would show them which room both of them would stay in.

"Let the fun begin," Goober told them.

"Yea!"


	12. Chapter 12

"Sergeant, let's stop by Andy's office. Maybe he and Barney will be there. What do you think, Goober?"

"I like the it. Why don't you call to check first?"

"I don't want to do that, Goober. I just want to surprise Andy and Barney. Do you want to come with us? I want to see the look on your face."

"Sure, Gomer. I'll come with you guys. Only I won't get a reaction."

Carter was still silent, so he didn't see any reason to join in the conversation. The three of them left the house without saying a word. So far, Carter hadn't given any thought of Mayberry since he has only been here for not even yet an entire day. He wants more time to say something.

"You're pretty quiet, Seregeant."

All Vincent could do was nod his head. Now he spoke up for the first time since arriving to Mayberry.

"What do you guys expect me to say?"

"You don't have to say anything," Goober answered.

"Are we there yet?"

"Almost."

"Did Gomer even mention the office is small?"

"Several times, yes. He repeats himself the entire day. I'm used to it by now."

Carter had just came to Mayberry, and now he wants to leave. He just couldn't stand being around two cousins who share the same last name. One is enough. Goober really has no interest in joining the military with Gomer. He's happy where he is.

The three of them finally made it to the sheriff's office.

"Let me go in first," Goober told them.

So he let himself into the sheriff's office. Both Gomer and Vincent could hear the conversation.

"Bring the guests in, Goober," Andy told him.

"All right. Barney, are you ready too?"

"Yes," was the answer.

So Goober came back to the door. He opened the door a little bit wider so Gomer and Vincent could walk in.

"Andy! Barney! Are you excited to see me again?"

"Well, this is quite a surprise for sure," Barney said.

Andy had to agree.

"It sure is, Gomer. We're always excited to see you."

"I know. Andy, I'm sure you remember Sergeant Carter."

Gomer had remembered this when he wanted to join the Marines.

"Yes, it's good to see you also. Where are you both staying?"

"With me," Goober answered.

"He's pretty quiet today, Andy. Barney, I'm sure you remember reading about Sergeant Carter in my letters."

"Yes, I do, Gomer. It's nice to have finally met you," Barney said.

"It's nice running into you again, Sheriff."

"Just call me Andy."

"Only if you call me Vincent."

"Do you go by Vince also?" Barney asked.

"Either way works, Barney."

"I'm happy to see you knew my name already. Do you want a tour of this place?" Barney asked.

"I think I'll pass, but thank you for the offer," he answered.

That's when Otis came in.

"Look who just came in," Andy said, seeing Otis.

"Who is this creep?" Otis asked, noticing Carter.

"This is my sergeant in the Marines, Otis."

"Nice to have met you, sir. Sorry if I called you a creep," Otis told Carter.

"Apology accepted. That's not a good way for an introduction for somebody who is from the military."

"Sorry," Otis said a second time and let himself into his cell.

After that, Otis didn't say anything else.

"Otis, you forgot to greet me," Gomer told him.

"I didn't notice you earlier, Gomer. I'm also happy you came back for a while. Andy, you didn't tell me Gomer was coming."

"There really wants anything to say, Otis. At least we gave you a surprise," Andy told Otis.

"You sure did surprise me. How long do you plan to stay, Gomer?"

"Maybe a week. Is that right, Sergeant?"

"Sounds about right."

"You get to see me for a while, Otis. Isn't that good news?"

"Of course it is. At leas you and I can catch up a bit."

"We will do that."

"Do you want to have supper at my place?" Andy asked.

"What do you think, Sergeant? It's the best food in Mayberry."

"He's right, Vincent," Barney said.

Otis agreed.

"All right, I'll accept."

"Yea!" Gomer said.

"Aunt Bea sure will love to feed somebody from the military, all right. She'll cook for just about anything," Barney told Vincent.

"Just who is Aunt Bea?" Vincent asked.

"Aunt Bea happens to be my aunt," answered Andy.

"I haven't had a woman feed me in a long time. My mother was good at cooking also."

"Well, Vincent, you are in for a treat. She will be happy to see you, Gomer," Andy told him.

"I think about you."

Gomer corrected himself."

"Not you. I meant Aunt Bea."

"Stop by the house around six."

"We will."


	13. Chapter 13

"Can we drop by and surprise Aunt Bea?" Gomer asked his cousin.

"She's home, and she would really be surprised to see you without an invitation," Goober replied.

"Let's go. Sergeant, are you ready to meet Andy's Aunt Bea? She's a really sweet lady," Gomber said.

"All right. I'm only here because you wanted me to go along for the ride," Carter answered.

Without saying this in front of the Pyle cousins, he said to himself quietly, _'I can't wait fir this trip to end. That way I wouldn't have to be with two guys with the last name of Pyle. It's already annoying.'_

Gomer then looked at him. He thought he could tell he was saying something, but it was only thoughts, but he asked a question.

Sergeant, what are you thinking? You look like you have something to say."

"I might look like it, but it's not very important."

"Are you sure? Vincent?" Goober asked.

"Yes, I'm sure. Are we there yet?"

"Almost," the cousins said at he same time.

"Good enough for me."

Goober was doing all of the driving, even though Gomer knew his way to Andy's house.

"I wonder what Aunt Bea is doing right now."

"I don't know, Gomer. I haven't seen her in a while."

"But you don't see her every day."

"No, I don't. There's no reason to. She's one of my favorite people in Mayberry."

"I agree. Well, we're finally here, Sergeant. Let's get to the door. Do you know if Opie is here too?" Gomer asked.

"I don't know about Opie. I haven't seen him lately, either. He's excited to see you and meet Vincent."

"I'm sure that he is."

Gomer rang the doorbell. Aunt Bea took a quick peek to see who was at the door. She saw it was Goober. Then she opened the door.

"Hello, Goober. Why don't you come on in?" Aunt Bea asked.

"Thanks. I bought you a surprise," he told Aunt Bea.

"Gomer! How nice of you to pay us a visit. You must be Vincent."

"Yes, ma'am, I am. It's a pleasure to finally have met you at last."

"Gomer's been telling us a lot about you. Do you want to sit down?"

"Why, thank you. Aunt Bea, is Opie here?" Gomer asked.

"No, he's not. I'm not sure where he is at the moment. Does Andy know you're back from the Marines?" she asked.

"We were just there, Aunt Bea. Barney was surprised to have us drop in."

"That's a good thing. At least we all can have the chance to catch up a bit," Aunt Bea said.

"Would any of you like to have a snack or something to drink?"

They all voted for ice water. That's when Aunt Bea went immediately to the kitchen.

All three men finally sat down. Gomer noticed there was a little change, but not much.

"I haven't seen this before," he said.

"See what?" Goober asked.

"This couch. It looks new."

"I didn't notice it, either. To Vincent, he didn't say a word since today was only day one. At least he only has a few days here in Mayberry, it would be nice to know these people a little, and he didn't see any reason to head back to the Marines.

Aunt Bea finally returned with the glasses of water. She only carried two at the same time.

"Here's the water, gentlemen. I'll go grab the last one and should be good for a while."

"Thanks, Aunt Bea. You're the greatest."

"Thank you, Goober."

She took it as a compliment, the three men saw.

That's when Goober and Gomer picked up their tall glasses from the table. Aunt Bea returned to the living room.

"Aunt Bea, did you do something different about the couch? I haven't seen it before."

"Yes, it's new, Gomer. Andy thought it was about time to get a new one, so we finally did something about it."

"It's very comfortable," Gomer told her.

"Why, thank you, Gomer. Have you been here for a while or just arrived?"

"Just arrived not too long ago. I'd be happy to stay until Opie comes home."

"You both can stay for supper. Would you like to join us, Vincent?"

"Of course I will stay. It's been a such a long time since I had a woman to cook for me."

Vincent really didn't have plans to leave right away because he came over with the Pyle cousins. Yes, Vincent is enjoying himself right now, and that's a good thing. Gomer noticed at least Vincent wouldn't be complaining to anyone since he doesn't want to be rude. This is exactly why he didn't say anything. At least that would ruin the vacation, and he didn't want that.

About fifteen to thirty minutes later, Opie finally arrived to the house and let himself in.

"Aunt Bea, I'm home!" Vincent heard a boy call.

Vincent saw Opie coming toward their way. Aunt Bea came in.

"Hi, Opie. How was your day?"

"It was good."

"We have a surprise," Aunt Bea added.

That's when Opie saw Goober, Gomer, and Vincent.

"Gomer! You're finally back!" Opie said, running over and gave him a huge hug. Gomer stood up.

"We can have the hug standing up, Opie. I feel more comfortable that way."

"Good point. How long have you been here?"

"I'd say about a couple hours. We just saw your pa."

"Awesome! Wish I was there."

"Opie, this is Sergeant Carter. Sergeant, this is Opie Taylor."

"Hi, Sergeant. It's nice to finally have met you."

"That's what your aunt said," Vincent told him.

Vincent hadn't known these people very long, and he saw that Opie looked like Andy. He didn't need to say that to him. He's probably heard that before.

"Are you staying for supper?" Opie asked.

"Yes, we are. I'm happy to see you also, Opie. I really missed you," Gomer told him.

"I missed you too."

"Would you like anything to eat or drink, Opie?"

"No, thank you, Aunt Bea. I'm good for a while. I just had some ice cream."

"And we are going to have chocolate brownies with chocolate chips for dessert. I hope you didn't ruin your appetite for dinner."

"No, Aunt Bea. I saved room for it."

"That's good to know."

About an hour later, Andy and Barney walked into the house.

"Hi, Andy, Barney."

"Are you staying with us tonight, Gomer?" Andy asked.

"Yes. Aunt Bea invited us. We weren't going to do anything anyway."

Barney saw Opie in the kitchen. He was only helping Aunt Bea out for a while.

"Are you becoming a cook, Opie?"

"No, Pa. Just trying to stay out of the way."

"You're not in the way, Opie. You're fine wherever you are," Gomer told the boy.

So everyone was able to enjoy themselves for most of the evening. When the sun was about to go down, Goober stood up. Everybody was able to have two brownies each, since Aunt Bea had made a whole batch.

"Looks like we better get going before it's too dark," Goober said.

"Good idea," Gomer agreed.

Vincent didn't say anything. He got up when the Pyle cousins did.

"Thanks for letting me stay tonight, Ms. Bea. I enjoyed having a woman cook for me after such a long time."

"I'm glad you enjoyed my cooking, Vincent. Didn't your mother cook for you when you were younger?"

"Yes, but I only knew her for about ten or twelve years. Then she passed on."

"Sorry to hear that."

"Not your fault. That was years ago. I'll look forward to seeing you again."

"I'll do the same, Vincent. It was a real pleasure to finally met you."

So Andy and Barney walked Goober, Vincent and Gomer out to the car in the driveway.

After that, Andy and Barney stayed until Goober drove out of the driveway safely.

"That was a nice evening," Andy said.

"Of course," Barney agreed.


End file.
